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A review by some_okie_dude27
Human Target: Chance Meetings by Peter Milligan
This book very much has the classic Vertigo feel. It has the classic Vertigo look, the classic Vertigo method of reinventing older, obscure DC Comics characters, and it has the sense of danger and unpredictability that the old Vertigo books had, though sadly this book isn't quite as innovative as some of the more well known Vertigo titles such as The Sandman, Doom Patrol, or Hellblazer.
Peter Milligan has certainly garnered a cult following over the years, I've had friends who've praised him as one of best talents to come out of the Vertigo 'Britwave' movement of the 80s and 90s who birthed the careers of such creators like Moore, Ellis, Morrison, Gaiman, Ennis, and many others, but I've yet to encounter his full genius. I did enjoy his Britannia that he did for Valiant some years back, though I didn't find his book to be quite as inventive as some of the other books on the Valiant line, who might be putting out some of the best and most unusual superhero comics today. But I kept with him, some of the other Britwavers took me a bit to get into as well, and I thought that perhaps I was looking in the wrong place.
The idea of The Human Target is a million dollar one, and one that I think that Vertigo wouldn't have much difficulty adapting into their catalogue: An assassin/bodyguard who decides to become the target, to become a sort of method actor in order to distract the assassins or whoever is after the person who's hired him. The theme of identity often lurks throughout this run, as it would with a story about a man who pretends to be other people. The theme of identity is touched upon throughout this run, but is a bit uneven in its exploration throughout the story, which I found myself disappointed in in the run of this book.
Yet nonetheless I enjoyed what I encountered through this book, it was well written, with a sense of verve and intensity that dripped through the pages that I read, I certainly enjoyed this book more than Britannia. It showcased Milligan's more playful side, skewering genre conventions in the way that early Vertigo is renowned for.
The first story was strong, showcasing Milligan as a subversive, occasionally provocative voice in comics. His style is lively and full of verve, he can be provocative, though he doesn't feel petulant or uber-edgy in its approach. He's not afraid to get political and while the political commentary is apparent, I found it more subtle and well handled than some other comics that attempt to be political and I was relieved to see that it doesn't succumb to the self-importance of such books like Renato Jones or Bitch Planet nor did it get in the way of the story that it wanted to tell.
Likewise, Biukovic's art in the first arc is quite good too, and also has the classic Vertigo style of art, though I was reminded of R.M. Guera's art on Scalped, where it made me feel like I was walking through an unpleasant, sleazy part of town, I do wonder if Guera took any influence from Biukovic during the duration of Scalped's run, I wouldn't be much surprised if this were the case. I was quite saddened to hear that we lost a talent like Biukovic so young, as it always is when a burgeoning talent suddenly loses their life.
Sadly, the second story was not as strong as the first. It's much more of a standard noir than the first arc. While Milligan's writing continues to be solid and inventive, I found that the art from Pulido was lacking. There were times that it looked solid and then times where the characters looked like pencils, not unlike Mr. Higgins Comes Home. I was reminded of Darwyn Cooke, one of the great comic book artists, who also had a simple, cartoon like style, yet his style felt evocative, expressive, and utterly vibrant. Reading through the latter half of the book made me pine for Darwyn Cooke to illustrate the book more often than not.
Yet Milligan's writing was still solid throughout the book, his satire of the superficiality of Hollywood is a bit obvious, but still effective in what the story was going for and the general mystery that was to be solved in the story was also well handled, with an ending and twist that genuinely surprised me. Milligan's verve continues to shine throughout this arc, though I don't find that the characterization was strong as the first one was, it felt rather...uneven at points.
Overall, despite its more provocative themes and satire, The Human Target proves to be a rather intriguing pulp crime story, though done in the classic Vertigo style that caused me to fall in love with the label to begin with.
Peter Milligan has certainly garnered a cult following over the years, I've had friends who've praised him as one of best talents to come out of the Vertigo 'Britwave' movement of the 80s and 90s who birthed the careers of such creators like Moore, Ellis, Morrison, Gaiman, Ennis, and many others, but I've yet to encounter his full genius. I did enjoy his Britannia that he did for Valiant some years back, though I didn't find his book to be quite as inventive as some of the other books on the Valiant line, who might be putting out some of the best and most unusual superhero comics today. But I kept with him, some of the other Britwavers took me a bit to get into as well, and I thought that perhaps I was looking in the wrong place.
The idea of The Human Target is a million dollar one, and one that I think that Vertigo wouldn't have much difficulty adapting into their catalogue: An assassin/bodyguard who decides to become the target, to become a sort of method actor in order to distract the assassins or whoever is after the person who's hired him. The theme of identity often lurks throughout this run, as it would with a story about a man who pretends to be other people. The theme of identity is touched upon throughout this run, but is a bit uneven in its exploration throughout the story, which I found myself disappointed in in the run of this book.
Yet nonetheless I enjoyed what I encountered through this book, it was well written, with a sense of verve and intensity that dripped through the pages that I read, I certainly enjoyed this book more than Britannia. It showcased Milligan's more playful side, skewering genre conventions in the way that early Vertigo is renowned for.
The first story was strong, showcasing Milligan as a subversive, occasionally provocative voice in comics. His style is lively and full of verve, he can be provocative, though he doesn't feel petulant or uber-edgy in its approach. He's not afraid to get political and while the political commentary is apparent, I found it more subtle and well handled than some other comics that attempt to be political and I was relieved to see that it doesn't succumb to the self-importance of such books like Renato Jones or Bitch Planet nor did it get in the way of the story that it wanted to tell.
Likewise, Biukovic's art in the first arc is quite good too, and also has the classic Vertigo style of art, though I was reminded of R.M. Guera's art on Scalped, where it made me feel like I was walking through an unpleasant, sleazy part of town, I do wonder if Guera took any influence from Biukovic during the duration of Scalped's run, I wouldn't be much surprised if this were the case. I was quite saddened to hear that we lost a talent like Biukovic so young, as it always is when a burgeoning talent suddenly loses their life.
Sadly, the second story was not as strong as the first. It's much more of a standard noir than the first arc. While Milligan's writing continues to be solid and inventive, I found that the art from Pulido was lacking. There were times that it looked solid and then times where the characters looked like pencils, not unlike Mr. Higgins Comes Home. I was reminded of Darwyn Cooke, one of the great comic book artists, who also had a simple, cartoon like style, yet his style felt evocative, expressive, and utterly vibrant. Reading through the latter half of the book made me pine for Darwyn Cooke to illustrate the book more often than not.
Yet Milligan's writing was still solid throughout the book, his satire of the superficiality of Hollywood is a bit obvious, but still effective in what the story was going for and the general mystery that was to be solved in the story was also well handled, with an ending and twist that genuinely surprised me. Milligan's verve continues to shine throughout this arc, though I don't find that the characterization was strong as the first one was, it felt rather...uneven at points.
Overall, despite its more provocative themes and satire, The Human Target proves to be a rather intriguing pulp crime story, though done in the classic Vertigo style that caused me to fall in love with the label to begin with.